Friday, April 25, 2014

Attached is a pdf containing a few articles from "The Way" from 1979 from Pope John Paul II visit to the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Philadelphia, PA on October 4, 1979.

2. Read an article we posted on our Archeparchy of Philadelphia website.

Ukrainian
Metropolitan-Archbishop Stefan Soroka of Philadelphia
will attend Canonization Ceremonies of St. John XXIII and St. John Paul II in
Rome

PHILADELPHIA,
PA.--On Sunday, April 27, Metropolitan Archbishop Stefan Soroka, of the
Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia will be at the Vatican as two
former Popes will be formally canonized Saints of the Church by His Holiness,
Pope Francis. After a consistory with cardinals on September 30th
last year, Pope Francis decided to canonize his two predecessors to the See of
Peter, John Paul II (1978-2005) and John XXIII (1958-1963).

Both of these
new saints, not only had a significant influence on the Catholic Church during
their pontificates, but they were friends of the Ukrainian Catholic Church and
their actions had a lasting impact on the largest Eastern Catholic Church in
union with Rome.

“Not only is
this an historic event, but these two new saints have a special place in the
hearts of Ukrainian Catholic faithful throughout the world,” Archbishop Soroka
stated.

As a seminarian,
Metropolitan Soroka was present in the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Philadelphia on October 4, 1979 when Pope John Paul
II made his visit to Philadelphia.
He was appointed auxiliary bishop of Winnipeg
in 1996 and Archbishop of Philadelphia in 2000 by Pope John Paul II after
election by the Synod of Bishops. He
attended his papal visit to Ukraine
in June 2001 and his funeral April 8, 2005 in St. Peter’s Square.

In 1963, Pope
John XXIII, with the assistance of President John K. Kennedy, secured the
release of Patriarch Josef Slipyj after eighteen years of Soviet
imprisonment. On February 10, 1963, the
head of the underground Ukrainian Catholic Church at that time, met his liberator,
Pope John XXIII at the Apostolic
Place at the Vatican.

The first Slavic
Pope, Pope John Paul II, early in his pontificate made a visit to the United States. When he visited the city of Philadelphia
on October 3 and 4, 1979, he made a visit to the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral
of the Immaculate Conception on Franklin
Street, the mother church of the Ukrainian
Catholic Church in the United
States.

His cooperation
with President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain, is credited with the eventual
collapse of the Soviet Union and the liberation of the so-called captive
nations, including Ukraine
at the close of the twentieth century.

In the twilight
years of his papacy, in frail health, ,Pope John Paul II made a historic visit
to Ukraine, June 23-27, 2001, and celebrated liturgies in both Kyiv and Lviv,
which were attended by millions, in spite of inclement weather.

When he first arrived on
Ukrainian soil, his first words were “I come as your friend.”

These holy men,
who as successors of Peter were Servants of Servants of God, will now be known
as Saint John XXIII and Saint John Paul II, and will take their place in the
constellation of declared saints of the Church.